First, in its Guidance for Landowners, PAS says some detectorists (almost all, actually) follow the National Council for Metal Detecting or Federation of Independent Detectorists codes. But why mention that? Those codes allow non-reporting, in blatant defiance and avoidance of the proper one! How is mentioning and legitimising codes that give farmers false reassurance about how detectorists will act NOT administering heritage poison?

Second, they freely admit “most archaeologists think metal-detecting rallies can be damaging to archaeology“ yet they dedicate numerous pages to details of many hundreds of rallies over the past 14 years, thus implying they’re acceptable instead of some of the World’s most heritage-poisonous events!

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So, friends, if PAS won’t do the right thing by either you or the public or the resource for fear of upsetting detectorists, YOU CAN. Tell anyone waving a “code of fake conduct” to go away – and tell anyone wanting to hold a rally (including “for charity”) they can’t, because PAS disapproves but is frit to say so!